As is well known, flat, flexible cables are connected to printed circuit patterns with the aid of electric connectors. A conventional electric connector is composed of male and female parts, which are soldered to the exposed conductors of the stripped end of a flat, flexible cable and to selected conductors of a printed circuit pattern respectively. A desired electric connection can be made by coupling the male and female parts of the electric connector. Soldering, however, is a tedious and time-consuming work. In an attempt to eliminate such tedious and time-consuming work a solderless connection in the form of press contact was proposed, as for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,169,641, 4,252,389, 4,252,392, 4,358,172, 4,634,195 and others. This type of solderless connector comprises a housing having a resilient contact piece integrally connected therewith, permitting insertion of a flat, flexible cable to place the conductor surface of the flat, flexible cable in registration with selected part of the circuit pattern on a printed circuit board. The resilient contact piece is adapted to push the conductor surface of the flat, flexible cable against the selected parts of the circuit pattern.
The solderless connectors in the prior art, however, have some disadvantages. First, none have cable positioning means to assure that the stripped end of a flat, flexible cable is put in correct position in the connector housing. It is relatively difficult to put a flat, flexible cable in correct position in the connector housing, and if it is put in a wrong position, a poor electric connection will result. Second, the connector housings of the prior art can be fixed to a printed circuit board by fitting the pins or pegs of the connector housings in corresponding holes of the printed circuit board, but these connector housings have no means to positively hold the flat cable therein. The flat cable is held only by a resilient contact piece, which pushes the end of the flat cable against the printed board. If undesired external force should be applied to the flat cable, it is liable to cause the flat cable to change in position. Thus, incomplete electric connection may result, leading to malfunction of the associated electric apparatus.
In view of the above, one object of the present invention is to provide a solderless connector which permits the exact positioning of a flat, flexible cable in the connector housing, particularly in the area in which a required electric connection is to made between the cable and the printed circuit pattern.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a solderless connector which is capable of positively holding a flat, flexible cable in the connector housing, thus preventing movement of the flat cable, which otherwise, would be caused by external force.